


Place Your Bets

by Burning_Nightingale



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Bets & Wagers, M/M, Man/Elf Pairing, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-07 04:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1115631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Nightingale/pseuds/Burning_Nightingale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elrohir makes a bet with Legolas that the elven Prince didn't actually agree to...Of course, it leaves him wondering how he gets himself into these messes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Place Your Bets

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LotR SeSa 2012

It was the best of times, and the worst of times. The best because the world was safe, two small hobbits having defeated the Dark Lord not a few scant months earlier. The worst because now that the Quest was over, Legolas had the feeling of a distinct lack of purpose.

Arwen had arrived in the city two days past, and been wed to Aragorn with much joy and celebration. They were to leave for Edoras in five days, to bear King Théoden back to his final resting place; and then, perhaps, they would go on and he would fulfil his promise to Gimli, and go with him to the Glittering Caves.

It seemed the time could not pass quickly enough. He was growing strangely restless here, and had been in all the time they had waited for the arrival of the Queen; Aragorn had suggested that it was the lack of trees and open space. But even after leaving the city for a few nights in the wild, he had not been able to shake the feeling. Inactivity gnawed on the edge of his mind like some rabid vermin, so he had come here to the gardens. As little greenery as they had here in Gondor should be savoured, and after all, he had promised Aragorn that he and his would bring more plant life into the city. This, he thought, was the start of much, much more.

He became aware of someone else in the garden, watching him. _Make that two someone else’s,_ he thought, looking up into two identical smiles. He went back to his gardening. “You have decided to grace me with your presence now, have you?” he asked archly.

Elrohir laughed and dropped onto his knees beside the wood elf. “Grumpy today, are we?” he said teasingly.

“What are you planting?” his brother asked, leaning over to look down into the small pots beside Legolas’ knee.

“Small flowers. I have a lot of primroses.”

The twins would not be dissuaded from helping him, so in no time at all they had planted all the primroses in the flower bed and retreated to the cool shade of a tall rowan tree. “We should have brought drinks,” Elladan said with a smile, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Are you coming to this meal they’re holding tonight, Legolas?” Elrohir asked him.

“I seem to be invited to everything, so yes, I am.”

Elrohir nodded. “We also seem to be invited to everything, don’t we ‘Dan? Each night a different family is clamouring to invite us to dinner, it seems.”

Legolas shrugged. “They don’t see many elves.”

“No, last night they asked us if we live in houses. What, did they think we lived in tents?”

“Wood elves live in trees,” Elladan pointed out.

“That’s not the same thing, ‘Dan,” Elrohir said irritatedly.

“Well, they’ll be seeing one permanently, now,” Elladan said, then got up purposefully in the slightly heavy silence that followed. “Come, we shouldn’t be late, ‘Roh.”

“Where are you going?” Legolas asked.

“I don’t-” Elrohir started, then he nodded. “Oh yes, Mithrandir wanted to speak to us.” He sighed, heaving himself from the ground.

“What a chore for you,” Legolas laughed, “I’ll see you at dinner tonight, then.”

~~~

That evening was full of laughter and merriment, and Legolas noted that many of the citizens seemed less awkward and nervous in his presence than before. A few even got up the courage to ask him questions or make jests, though Gimli far outstripped them in that area. “The denizens of the lower levels of the mines might have black skin and a hundred arms!” the dwarf insisted emphatically, waving his tankard high.

“What?” The man he was talking to looked hopelessly confused at this outburst.

“Goblins,” Legolas explained, “Though I have never seen a goblin with a hundred arms, Gimli.”

“You haven’t looked hard enough,” Gimli concluded, and then his attention was called away by his companion asking him another question.

“Excuse me, are you Prince Legolas?” a feminine voice asked from behind his shoulder.

He turned. A young woman in a pretty green dress was standing behind him, smiling. “I am,” he said, “You are welcome to sit, my lady. May I enquire as to your name?”

She sat gracefully, and answered, “I am Asta, your majesty. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Lady Asta sat with Legolas for a long while. She was bold and confident, with pretty laughing eyes and an eagerness to know more about what Legolas could tell her of the world. She was called away by her mother sooner than Legolas would have liked; she seemed an interesting type.

“She was lively,” said a familiar voice by his shoulder.

“She was very interesting,” Legolas said, giving Elrohir a look over his shoulder. “Where have you been, ingesting vast quantities of mead?”

“Nothing of the sort, my good friend,” Elrohir said cheerfully, swinging his legs around to place them under the table. “You know I am the more sensible one.”

“Out of whom, your brother and you? That is not a great recommendation.”

“Legolas, you wound me,” Elladan laughed, sitting down on his other side. “You really agree _he_ is the more sensible twin?”

Legolas snorted. “Neither of you are sensible, so it really doesn’t matter either way.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Elrohir laughed, placing three tankards in front of them.

After competing to see who could down their beer fastest (Legolas, due to his practise, won), Elrohir leant forward with his elbows on the table and his chin propped on his hands, looking thoughtful. Legolas eyed him warily. “I don’t like that look. What’s on your mind?”

“Well,” Elrohir said grandly, sitting up straight and making a show of composing himself.

“Here we go,” Elladan muttered from behind Legolas’ shoulder.

“I was thinking,” Elrohir started, “That human woman was awfully nice, wasn’t she? And these Men are awfully nice, are they not?”

“Awfully,” Legolas agreed warily, “But I don’t see where you’re going with this, ‘Roh.”

“Well, Legolas my dear friend, both you and I are single elves at the moment…”

“Oh no no,” Legolas shook a finger at the Peredhel, “You’re not roping me into some contest-”

“Ah, but Legolas, have you not heard of the great stature and stamina of Men?” Elladan said mischievously.

“I don’t know why you’re helping him,” Legolas said, turning around to give the other twin a dark look. He received only a cheeky smile in return.

“Because, dear Legolas, we are twins, and twins are twin forces of ultimate doom and destruction.” Elrohir nodded at his twin. “I say we lay a bet. First to lure in a Man wins.”

“I still haven’t agreed to this-”

“Hush Legolas, stop moaning. Agreed, and I’ll be the judge,” Elladan smiled. “Time limit?”

“Tonight only,” Elrohir grinned.

“This is really inappropriate-”

“The loser has to swim the length of the river, from one side of Osgiliath to the other, dragging the other two behind.”

Elrohir shrugged. “Sounds fair enough. Shake on it?”

Elladan shook his hand, and then before Legolas knew it his hand was being shaken as well. “Good luck all participants,” Elladan said with mock pomp, “And may the best elf win!”

“I can’t believe you’ve roped me into this,” Legolas said despairingly.

Quite a while later, and Legolas was still sitting at the same table. Elrohir had disappeared a while ago; Legolas assumed he had gone to fulfil their bet, but he was not sure how. Elladan was still sitting beside him, drinking another mug of ale, and watching him. “You really have no clue how to go about this, do you?” he asked after a while.

Legolas spread his hands. “Absolutely none.”

Elladan sighed. “I hate to lose my impartially,” he stood from the table, “but you’re going to lose horribly if I don’t help you. So, go over there and talk to that one.” He pointed across the room with one finger. “He’s been staring at you on and off for the past half hour. Just ask him if he likes swordplay; works every time.” Then he winked, and disappeared into the crowd.

Legolas turned to look at the Man Elladan had pointed at. He was looking away now. Legolas questioned whether he really wanted to go over there; did he really want to get involved in this? Though, the prospect of dragging the twins through the river didn’t sound too appealing either – and he knew they’d make him do it. They had imposed similar dares and trials before.

Sighing to himself, he got up and made his way over the room. The Man in question was sitting alone, drinking quietly. Legolas took a deep breath. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

The Man jumped and blinked up at him. He stared for a minute, as if barely able to believe his eyes, then hurriedly moved aside, stuttering, “Yes, yes, of course, please, be my guest, er…”

“Thank you.” Legolas sat down, and tried to think of something to say, but was saved from speaking when music began to play from somewhere down the hall. Men clashed their cups together and cheered, then quietened as a voice began to sing.

The song was more like a history; it was an epic detailing the achievements of an ancient King of Rohan. The music was pretty and the story was full of adventure and testing times, and it held Legolas’ attention rapt right until the end. The hall thundered with applause as the musicians finished and took bows.

Legolas turned to look at his companion, but found the Man was no longer there. Frowning, he turned and searched, but he was nowhere to be found.

What he did see, however, was Elrohir and another Man making their way out of the hall. With a sinking stomach, Legolas watched as the younger twin turned back and winked at him before disappearing through the door.

It seemed he had lost, then.

Later that evening, he and Elladan had left the hall behind and were sitting together on the battlements that surrounded a small garden. The night was warm and the sky was clear, a hundred stars shining in the vault of heaven above them. “I suppose if tomorrow is sunny, we will be going swimming,” Legolas groused.

Elladan laughed. “You did lose the bet.”

“Well, I was competing with someone far more experienced.”

“You barely tried, Legolas,” Elladan snorted.

Legolas scowled at him. “Well, I didn’t agree of my own free will in the first place, now did I?”

“Sourpuss.” Elladan smiled and slung an arm around his shoulder. “Come, let’s go inside. You’d better be rested before your swim tomorrow!”

“Though on second thoughts,” Legolas said suddenly, a sly look coming onto his face. Elladan gave him a questioning look, and the Prince nodded to the shrubbery near the edge of the garden. A figure was hiding behind one of the small, twisted trees.

Elladan grinned. “Looks like you didn’t lose your Man, after all.” He began to walk away, waving airily. “Don’t let me keep you, my friend.”

Legolas shook his head, then turned back to the shrubbery. “Do you like swordplay, my friend?” he called into the dark, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips.


End file.
